The Grenada gazette., 1887-06-18
THE VERY LATEST FAD.
A Professor Of ROpe-Tying Relates tho
Secrets of His Calling.

- A~aSSSos VI tSOpC. Lynx Ntlhtcb tus
Secrets Of His Calling.
Societys latest fashionable fad i,
rope-tying. Since the days when Eos
ter, Slade, the Davenports and the
Eddy Brothers performed their mar.
velous rope-tying tricks the secrets Of
splices, knots and hltches has never
been more eargerly studied and the
art of rope-tying has never been more
faithfully practiced than now. Young
girls who have Just been initiated into
the mysteries of tennis, boys about
to start out upon their first fish.
ing tour, young Corinthian tars, amt.
teur yachtsmen of both sexes all havs
the fever, and it is not improbable tina.
the craze will extend to those in many
of the gravcr walks of life. Those de-
voted to the art--if art it can be called
Insist that life can not be success
unless one be versed in rope tying
"Rope.tyin'," said a profess II of the
art, ''is the most usefulest of all the
'complishments. Tv seen men fore
now. as'ud give the world ter know
some things about ropes. A boy may
want ter lengthen his tishin' line er
make swing; he may want ter make
a kittle out o jug or a pickle jar
when he goes picknickin'; er he may
want ter anchor his boat, fasten his
kite string er make a sinker for his
crab line, an less he understands rope
tyin' he'll lose his fish er kite, drop his
pickel jar er find his boat carried away
by the tide. The fust thing he must
do is ter learn ter tie squar' knot. We
sailors calls it a reef-knot. 1t is the one
used by surgeons in tyin' up blood ves-
sells, cause 'twont slip. Now, folks all
on 'em think squar' knot is the SIM
plcst thing in the world ter tie; but
faint. Most on EN- make a granny.
which most allus slips, and if it don'tit
caws the rope, as the strain is at right
angles. A squar' knot is made by takin'
two ropes and crossin' the ends, ther
left hand rope under ther right.
Carry the right-hand one through the
loop once, then tie again, only carry
the right-hand end under the left and
draw tight If y carry the left hand
under the right one the second time
y'll have what we calls granny knot
an granny haint ter be depended on
nohow. The more y pull on ter reef
knot the tighter it gets. Sometimes y
want er longer line, but y haint got
two ropes of size. Then's when
comes in. Y make
his by bendin' the end of the biggest
rope so it looks like the letter U, then
y put the end O. the little rope or
wine up from the bottom behind the
bend between the two sides, carry it
round behind the two sides, then
cross the front and under the part
hat comes up from below and there
: are. When tn keleg-line of yer
,oat is too short an y haint nothin'
,ut a piece q hemp twine or fishin'
inc ter bend onto it nothin'
answers like the beckett hitch. Then
here's the bowline. which let's y have
loop onto the end of rope as III not |
lraw up. It's easy ter make and is
rood when y want to tie yer horse or
log with a rope and don't want ter
hoke 'em. Y make it by turning a
ope on itself near the end and maxim
blight Hold tn turn or blight with
he left hand. pass the end of the rope
trough the blight from bottom up ards.
hen around the main rope and down
through the blight again. Draw it
ight an y'll get a loop as II never
lip. Storc.keepers make a bowline
,hen they does up big bundles, cause
v pullin' the string through the loop
hey gets a slip-knot on which they can
epend. A knot that puzzles most
eople, howsomever. is the sheepshank.
Is useful in gatherin' up the slack Of
rope and making it shorter. It is
,ade by doublin' rope on itself twice
nd passin' y loop over each end."-
Y Mail and Express.